


Twisted Minds

by FanGirlFreak16



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Varian and the Seven Kingdoms
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Attempted Escape, Drama, Drama & Romance, Dystopia, Emotions, Escape, Eventual Romance, Execution, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Hugo needs a hug, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Characters, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Not Beta Read, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Pining, Running Away, SO, Scars, Secret Relationship, They all need hugs, Touch-Starved, Trauma, Varian Needs a Hug (Disney), assigned jobs, but touch isn't allowed, dystopian au, may be triggering, yeet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:46:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28624317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirlFreak16/pseuds/FanGirlFreak16
Summary: In which a society forbids a majority of the luxuries and normalities we've come to know, such as touch and freedom to wed, Varian seeks out more. More than he's ever been permitted to, and more than he could chew. And who else to be at the receiving end of his limit-pushing than Hugo?Hugo, a clean-cut and linear rule follower, wishes to stay in good standings with the rulers of this dystopian society......until Varian opens his eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. Possibilities that they could potentially become acquainted with in life, should they decide to face the risks that come with escape.If they manage to escape, that is.
Relationships: Amber/Nuru, Donella & Hugo (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Hugo & Nuru & Varian & Yong (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Nuru (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Hugo (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms) & Original Character(s), Hugo/Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Nuru & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Varian & Yong (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 20





	Twisted Minds

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here it is—the beginning of my Dystopian AU. A portion of the ideas is inspired by The Giver by Lois Lowry. I definitely recommend reading the book if you can! It's an amazing read!
> 
> Warnings vary with each chapter.
> 
> Trigger Warnings: Execution, execution of gay characters, homophobia (no slurs).

_ "I want to leave," She said merely two days ago. "I want to leave and never look back." Her voice had been so firm, holding no signs of fear. It only held bitter hatred for the home she had come to know. _

Nuru gripped the strap of her bag tightly in her hand, it draping loosely over her right shoulder. She moved stealthily to not let the street lights fall onto any portion of her body. Should she be noticed out past curfew, Nuru doubted that she would simply be chastised. Staying inside past eight o'clock was a rule that was ingrained in everyone's heads since the moment they were able to retain information. For simply being outside, she may be  _ Released _ .

Though she, along with dozens of others, were not entirely sure what  _ Release  _ was. Everyone had their own ideas. Some people pictured running through a green field. Others thought of harsh lands. Nuru didn't know what to think of it. All that she knew was that when people were  _ Released,  _ they were never seen again. If she was going to share that fate, it would be on her  _ own  _ terms.

_ "Come now, be sensible," came Varian's concerned voice. "Where would you even go? There's nothing outside of here!" He looked apprehensive, terrified to lose one of his best friends. While she felt bad for putting her friend through the anxiety, she couldn't stay here any longer. _

Nuru stalked up the hill towards the schooling complex. While there was a perfectly paved pathway leading up the building entrance, Nuru settled for the dim and grassy option. The path was littered with light and was a sure-fire way for her to get caught. Her pastel yellow dress swayed with the careful breeze as she made her trek up the hill, white canvas shoes getting slightly riddled with mud from forming dew on the grass. If she could conduct this plan in a foolproof manner, she would be free.

She froze when she came to the top of the hill, Varian's words echoing off the walls of her head.

_ "There's nothing outside of here!" _

What if that was the case? She'd be leaving everything behind for nothing. Her mom, dad, sister, Varian, Hugo, and Yong left and abandoned for  _ what?  _ The whole point of her escape would be soiled, and she would go to live the rest of her life in a baron landscape without the love of anyone she ever knew.

Nuru tensed at the sound of footsteps ascending the paved walkway. She couldn't understand why anyone would be heading to the school at this time of night. Cleanings should be finished, and teachers could always grade work from the confinements of their homes. Nevertheless, Nuru made a beeline for a neighboring bush in the dark, hiding in between its twigs and branches. She willed herself to keep her breathing calm, noting that any loud sounds would immediately alert the men. She was so close now, too close! She had to stay hidden!

"...the  _ Release  _ for the boy?" came the inquisitive voice of the first man. Nuru's orange eyes peered out from behind the bush and caught sight of a young man-early twenties if she guessed correctly-with a clean face and notably thick black glasses. He had bright green eyes and jet black hair that shagged about his head in a messy fashion, but the black and white suit he wore would deter anyone from thinking he was a messy fellow.

"Indeed. It is to be given a couple more weeks of thought before anything is set into motion. However, I do not see him meeting the standards he must. He's much too far behind." A man with platinum blonde hair pulled back into a long ponytail was the one to give a response. His ice-blue eyes shone exceptionally bright under the street lights. Nuru guessed him to be in his mid-thirties.

"Such a shame," the first man sighed, "he was showing so much promise, too!"

The blonde-haired man nodded, swiping a card in a slot that caused the door to open. "Yes," he agreed as the first man stepped in, "but not enough promise for his assigned job." Once both men were in, Nuru waited a few seconds before booking it to the doors, deciding there wasn't a more opportune time to enter than now. She started to internally frantic when the doors began to shut. As a last chance resort, Nuru removed her bag from her shoulder and threw it through the door before dropping to the ground and sliding in between the narrow slit of an opening the door had to offer. She stifled a yelp at the burning sensation surging up her leg, undoubtedly burnt from the friction between the floor and her skin.

Taking a moment to breathe, Nuru looked over her right leg, noticing the burnt hole that appeared on her white leggings. She cursed mentally, taking a deep breath through her nose and out through her mouth. This certainly was a lot of trouble to go through if there was nothing on the other side of this place.

_ She shook her head vehemently, standing from her seated position. "You don't know that," she countered. "How could you know that when you've never left the confinements of this place?" _

Nuru took one last deep breath before standing on her feet, hands moving to pick up her bag and drape it back over her shoulder. Right...so she was in. This meant she had to be extremely cautious now. One misstep could cost her  _ everything.  _ She leaned her back against the wall, trying to make herself as flat as possible against the drywall. She inched her way down the vestibule and into the school's hallway. The hallway was lined with shut doors, all leading to different classrooms. Nuru bit back a scoff when her eyes landed on the classroom where her cooking lessons were held.

The faster she got out of this place and was able to study the stars, the better.

Since the open doorway that led to the cafeteria, the room she needed to be in, was on the other side of the room, Nuru started sliding down the hallway, rounding the ending and sliding onto the opposite wall, making easy access for her to enter into the cafeteria without leaving the wall. Once she had successfully made her way into the dimly lit mess hall, her eyes darted towards the next room she needed to get into.

On the leftmost side of the cafeteria sat a counter that often held food for the students. Everyone was given the same meals and portions—no diversity in the slightest. While Nuru had never thought much on the matter before, she now wondered why diversity was so frowned upon. Why couldn't she wear different colors than her typical pastel yellow? Why did they have to wear colors based on their jobs? It made no sense to her.

Shaking herself out of her digressive thoughts, she inched her way towards the counter, back pressed against the wall and eyes glued firmly to the door that sat behind the counter.

She was  _ so  _ close. If she was able to make it to this door, she was as good as gone.

_ Varian sighed, running his hands across his face in confliction. He stared at Nuru with such a look of pain and curiosity. _

_ Nuru hadn't been sure which side would win him over. _

_ His hands had melted from his face before he rubbed them together. "You really wanna do this...don't you?" _

The silence of the room was terribly offputting. Nuru could only feel suspicious and paranoid, as if she wasn't alone in that room. Despite her suspicions, there were no interruptions or alarms that went off. She made it to the door that led into the cafeteria's backroom without a hitch. All she had to do now was turn the doorknob and go in.

This was  _ really  _ it.

The thoughts of doubt came back to her mind, and for a moment, she entertained the idea of staying. What was she looking for anyway? Yes, she wanted her freedom, but what did she expect to find outside of this place? This world was the only one she had ever come to know. What if the outside world was much different? What if it was the same?

What if there was no outside world?

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Nuru gripped the doorknob and turned it.

She would never know if she didn't take the chance.

With one last glance at the cafeteria, Nuru made her final decision.

She slipped into the room as quickly as possible, shutting the door quietly behind her. Her hand lingered on the doorknob momentarily as she stood behind the newly closed door, breathing a tad heavily out of sheer exhilaration.

She was going to do this.

She turned from the door and glanced up at the vent that she would have to make her way to. It was in the left corner of the room towards the ceiling, much too high for her to reach. She let out the faintest groan.  _ If Hugo were here, he could probably reach it with ease, _ she thought with a slight bitterness. However, since the obnoxious blonde wasn't there, she decided she'd have to stick to finding her own way of elevation. Taking in the room's surroundings, she realized it wouldn't be too difficult to find something to boost herself up with.

Lining the walls were mobile shelves, each individual having four surfaces, containing cans of goods she didn't care to examine. Instead, she quickly moved the cans off one of the mobile shelves and pushed it to line up right underneath the vent. Placing her hands firmly on the sides of the mobile shelf, Nuru heaved herself up and stepped upon each surface in the way one would a ladder. When she reached the top, she peered inside the vent. The silver metal tunnel seemed to go on forever, connecting from this portion of the building to the  _ Release _ complex.

She gripped the sides of the vent. "Ready as I'll ever be." She muttered to no one but herself before crawling in.

_ She nodded, silence holding out in the air for a longer period of time than she would have liked. "More than anything. I want to see what's out there. Even if it's worse than this place, at least I'll know that there were more options for our lives." She explained, her tone quiet and her eyes pleading. _

The crawl to simply get from the school to the  _ Release  _ complex took the better part of fifteen minutes. Her knees were sore, and she was sure even more holes had been worn through her leggings, but she prevailed. She was so close. All that she had to do now was get through the  _ Release  _ complex, and she would exit the vent on the outside of the complex.

Nothing stood in her way now.

"Ma'am," came a muted voice through the slits in the duct, "we're ready to begin the  _ Release _ ." Nuru froze in place at that. If she looked through the vent slits right now, she would be able to witness a  _ Release  _ first hand! Something no one had ever done before aside for those assigned with the job of a  _ Releaser _ .

Deciding that a slight distraction wouldn't hurt, Nuru brought her eyes to the vent slit, peering down at the scene before her.

The room seemed to be completely white, from the painted walls to the tiled floors. If Nuru was honest, she'd admit that it partially hurt her eyes, but she couldn't dare to take her eyes away from the scene in front of her. In the middle of the room stood a large wooden device with a groove near the contraption's bottom. A rope hung from the side, and a singular, large blade stood brandished near the top.

Nuru watched as a woman was brought in, two  _ Releasers  _ gripping her arms tightly, tears streaking down her face, leaving her eyes red and puffy. Nuru was confused by the woman's state of distress. What was she so upset about?

Wait...something about that woman seemed familiar. Was that...no, it couldn't be.

"Please, you don't need to do this!" The woman cried and pleaded as the men fought with her. Ultimately, she was losing a battle that she wasn't in control of. The two men forced the woman on the ground, a sickening crack emitting from her arm. Nuru cringed, knowing the woman more than likely had just broken a bone. The two men forced the woman's head into the groove of the wood. The echoes of her cries reverberated against the tiled floors and painted walls into a horrendous symphony of pain.

That voice...Nuru  _ knew  _ that voice. She'd heard it a couple of times in passing when she was with…

...oh  _ no _ .

Nuru wanted to look away but couldn't.

A third person, a female, came from behind a machine, a white lab coat covering her vibrant red dress. The two other men had no white attire to cover their red shirts. "Margaret," came the red-clad woman's strong sounding voice, "you have been caught conducting acts of homosexuality, touching, and being unloyal to the one you are supposed to wed." She walked over towards the contraption that Margaret had her head placed on.

A sense of dread balled itself in Nuru's stomach.

_ "You need to write to me," Varian compromised. "As soon as you make it out, you need to get a letter to me. Tell me you're out; tell me you're safe...tell me if there's anything out there." His baby blue eyes were pleading with Nuru. She knew she would have been an even more terrible friend to deny him of his simple request. _

The woman gripped the rope tightly in her hands, a sinister look in her eye. Nuru was by no means an engineer, but she had a feeling that if the woman tugged on the rope, the blade was going to fall. Nuru shook her head in denial. This couldn't be  _ Release.  _ This...This was  _ murder.  _ "For these acts, you are to be  _ Released. _ " With that statement, Nuru's thoughts were proven correct.

Margaret let out one last scream of terror before the blade came down, painting the woman's white lab coat in red to match her shirt.

Nuru bit back her own scream of terror and wave of nausea. She looked away from the vent slit, trying her hardest to keep her dinner down.

_ This  _ was  _ Release. This  _ was the world she lived in, the world her  _ friends and family  _ lived in. She had to get out. She had to make a path for them. If she wanted them to make it, she had to press on with her journey.

With her stomach rolling in nausea and tears beginning to streak down her face, Nuru kept crawling, wanting nothing more than to stop and mourn for the acquaintance she had met, if briefly.

_ Nuru gave a gentle smile before wrapping her arms around Varian in a tight hug. "I will." _

She  _ had  _ to keep going…

"On with the next  _ Release!"  _ came the yell from the woman.

...for them.


End file.
